Written Answers Wednesday 18 January 2006

Scottish Executive

Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many closure orders have been granted by Sheriff Courts under section 29 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, broken down by local authority area; what the reasons were for each order being granted, and what the conclusions were in each case.

Hugh Henry: The available data on closure orders granted by sheriff courts are presented in the following table and cover the period from October 2004 to September 2005. This is also available in the Standing up to Antisocial Behaviour First Anniversary Report : www.antisocialbehaviourscotland.com .

  At present we can only provide information on the number of closures by police constabulary area. However, we will be able to provide the additional information required after 30 April 2006, when we receive the first annual reports on the use of the measures of the act.

  

 Constabulary Area
October 2004 to September 2005
Number of Closure Orders Granted


 Fife
 4


 Tayside
 3


 Lothian and Borders
 1


 Strathclyde
 1

Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will make in respect of the UK Government’s current consultation on the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Hugh Henry: I am writing to a range of stakeholders inviting them to respond to the UK Government’s consultation paper on the reform of Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, and to initiate discussions on developments in the way in which victim services in Scotland are delivered in the light of any changes to the Scheme.

Drug Misuse

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many referrals have been made to drug rehabilitation places since 1999 in each local authority area.

Hugh Henry: The following table presents estimates of the total number of clients referred to services for assessment, the number of clients referred for a range of rehabilitation treatments post-assessment and the number of clients referred for residential rehabilitation only.

  Data is extracted from the National Drug Treatment Waiting Times Framework, which was implemented in April 2004, and represents activity from April 2004 to September 2005, the most recent quarter for which data was collected. There is no relevant information from before this time. Data is collected by Drug Action Teams and is thus only available by Drug Action Team area.

  

 Drug Action Team Area
 Total Number of Clients Referred for Assessment
 Number of Clients Referred for All Treatments Post-Assessment
 Number of Clients Referred for Residential Rehabilitation


 Aberdeen City
 1,175
 361
 0


 Aberdeenshire
 725
 357
 108


 Angus
 373
 164
 0


 Argyll and Clyde
 2,832
 1,417
 69


 Ayrshire and Arran
 1,683
 381
 23


 Borders
 802
 395
 169


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1,327
 618
 3


 Dundee City
 1,290
 189
 0


 East Lothian
 738
 478
 1


 Edinburgh City
 2,793
 1,439
 51


 Fife
 6,486
 1,773
 2


 Forth Valley
 1,745
 691
 1


 Glasgow
 7,927
 4,158
 946


 Highland
 616
 576
 1


 Lanarkshire
 2,764
 1,054
 9


 Midlothian
 0
 0
 0


 Moray
 426
 266
 1


 Orkney
 84
 79
 2


 Perth and Kinross
 460
 52
 1


 Shetland
 31
 42
 0


 West Lothian
 1,679
 606
 0


 Western Isles
 31
 37
 0


 Scotland
 35,987
 15,264
 1,387

Drug Misuse

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will measure the number of referrals from local authority areas to drug rehabilitation places.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database is in the process of being enhanced to collect better information about outcomes for clients and new data items are currently being pilot tested. Information will be collected on whether clients receive services including residential detoxification, community based detoxification, residential rehabilitation or other structured interventions.

  The collection of postcode sector information should allow for the construction of local authority level information. The revised database will go live during 2006.

  The Waiting Times Framework for drug services also collects information on the numbers of people referred for various interventions including residential rehabilitation and detoxification. This information has been available since April 2004. Quarterly reports are published online at: http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/wtpilot/reports.htm.

Drug Misuse

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what methods it will employ to encourage local authorities to refer drug users to abstinence drug rehabilitation places, if these are appropriately identified as a suitable treatment.

Hugh Henry: Drug Action Teams (DATs) are responsible for the strategic planning and co-ordination of action to tackle drug misuse in their areas.

  The allocations to DATs from the additional £4 million to community drug treatment services we announced for 2005-06 were specifically linked to increasing the range of treatment available locally, including abstinence services, as well as expanding capacity and reducing waiting times.

Drug Misuse

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been set aside for each local authority to assist drug users remain within their community since 1999.

Hugh Henry: The majority of funding, £23.7 million in 2005-06, allocated by the Scottish Executive for Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation is provided to National Health Boards to support the work of local Drug and Alcohol Teams in Scotland.

  Local authorities receive resources earmarked for drugs rehabilitation, totalling £6.8 per annum, through Grant Aided Expenditure. These funds may also be used support to the work of local Drug and Alcohol Teams. It is for each area to decide how their allocated resources are spent, based on local need.

  

 NHS Board
 Local Authority
 2000-01(£000)
 2001-02(£000)
 2002-03(£000)
 2003-04(£000)
 2004-05(£000)


 Argyll and Clyde
 Argyll and Bute
 0
 119
 119
 119
 119


 Inverclyde
 0
 113
 113
 113
 113


 Renfrewshire
 0
 235
 235
 235
 235


 East Renfrewshire%
 0
 119
 119
 119
 119


 West Dunbartonshire%
 0
 126
 126
 126
 126


 Ayrshire and Arran
 East Ayrshire
 0
 161
 161
 161
 161


 North Ayrshire
 0
 185
 185
 185
 185


 South Ayrshire
 0
 152
 152
 152
 152


 Borders
 Borders
 0
 141
 141
 141
 141


 Dumfries and Galloway
 Dumfries and Galloway
 0
 195
 195
 195
 195


 Fife
 Fife
 0
 464
 464
 464
 464


 Forth Valley
 Clackmannanshire
 0
 65
 65
 65
 65


 Falkirk
 0
 192
 192
 192
 192


 Stirling
 0
 113
 113
 113
 113


 Grampian1
 Aberdeen City
 0
 282
 282
 282
 282


 Aberdeenshire
 0
 302
 302
 302
 302


 Moray
 0
 113
 113
 113
 113


 Greater Glasgow*
 Glasgow City
 0
 812
 812
 812
 812


 East Dunbartonshire
 0
 147
 147
 147
 147


 East Renfrewshire%
 0
 119
 119
 119
 119


 West Dunbartonshire%
 0
 126
 126
 126
 126


 South Lanarkshire%
 0
 408
 408
 408
 408


 North Lanarkshire%
 0
 436
 436
 436
 436


 Highland
 Highland
 0
 277
 277
 277
 277


 Lanarkshire
 North Lanarkshire%
 0
 436
 436
 436
 436


 South Lanarkshire%
 0
 408
 408
 408
 408


 Lothian2
 East Lothian
 0
 120
 120
 120
 120


 Edinburgh City
 0
 600
 600
 600
 600


 Midlothian
 0
 108
 108
 108
 108


 West Lothian
 0
 205
 205
 205
 205


 Orkney
 Orkney
 0
 26
 26
 26
 26


 Shetland
 Shetland
 0
 30
 30
 30
 30


 Tayside3
 Angus
 0
 146
 146
 146
 146


 Dundee City
 0
 192
 192
 192
 192


 Pert and Kinross
 0
 178
 178
 178
 178


 Western Isles
 Western Isles
 0
 37
 37
 37
 37



  Notes:

  % - Only a percentage of the local authority lies within the NHS board area.

  1. Grampian NHS Board comprises Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray Drug and Alcohol Action Teams.

  2. Lothian NHS Board comprises East Lothian, Edinburgh City, Midlothian and West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Action Teams.

  3. Tayside NHS Board comprises Angus, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross Drug and Alcohol Action Teams.

Drug Misuse

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the age has been of each drug user identified in each local authority area since 1999.

Hugh Henry: There is no formal system for "identifying" drug users in Scotland. However, the Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) records information on people as they come into contact with drug treatment services.

  Information showing the number of new individuals entering drug treatment by council area of residence and age group, from 1990-2000 to 2004-05, has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38580).

Drug Misuse

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the powers are of the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) is the subject of a collaborative agreement between the eight chief constables under Section 12 of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967. The arrangements in place under that mean that constables seconded to the SDEA have all the same powers and privileges as constables in the eight Scottish police forces.

  The Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill, introduced on 30 September 2005, will put the SDEA on a statutory footing with statutory functions from April 2007.

Drug Misuse

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency.

Cathy Jamieson: The remit of the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency is to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of the police by co-ordinating intelligence and operational elements of drug enforcement and the investigation of serious and organised crime.

Drug Misuse

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what statistical information the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency collects.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) collects a range of data. This includes information relating to their performance and linked to their targets such as the sum of assets reported for restraint, the number of persons arrested, the quantity and street value of drugs seized in operations involving the agency and the number of intelligence logs submitted by them to the Scottish Intelligence Database. These figures are published by the SDEA in their annual reports which can be found on their website at http://www.sdea.police.uk/ .

  The agency also collects national statistics on confirmed drug related deaths and has recently been tasked with collating statistics on drug related sexual assaults on behalf of the Scottish police service.

  It co-ordinates drug trends information obtained from Scottish forces which is used to inform law enforcement colleagues and partner agencies on illicit drug misuse through the SDEA’s quarterly drugs trends bulletin.

  Like any organisation, it also keeps internal statistics relating to matters such as personnel and financial management.

Drug Misuse

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been arrested for drug-driving offences in each of the last five years, including 2006, broken down by police force area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Cathy Jamieson: The following tables give the number of drunk or drug-driving offences (including those involving the refusal to provide a test or sample) recorded by each police force over the last five financial years. The available data does not allow those offences where the individual concerned was under the influence of drugs to be separated from those where he or she was under the influence of alcohol. Also, the number of offences recorded by the police has been given, as information on arrests made by the police is not collected centrally.

  Number of Relevant Driving Offences1 Recorded by the Police, Broken Down by Police Force Area, 2000-01 to 2004-05

  

 Police Force
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Central
 165
 199
 189
 156
 146


 Dumfries and Galloway
 83
 58
 78
 55
 84


 Fife
 174
 189
 214
 234
 166


 Grampian
 246
 275
 316
 293
 354


 Lothian and Borders
 420
 426
 441
 398
 329


 Northern
 188
 230
 227
 217
 222


 Strathclyde
 1,692
 1,617
 1,700
 1,614
 1,484


 Tayside
 280
 311
 293
 260
 263


 All Scotland
 3,248
 3,305
 3,458
 3,227
 3,048



  Year-on-Year Percentage Changes in the Number of Relevant Driving Offences1 Recorded by the Police, Broken Down by Police Force Area, 2000-01 to 2004-05

  

 Police Force
 2000-01 to 2001-02
 2001-02 to 2002-03
 2002-03 to 2003-04
 2003-04 to 2004-05


 Central
 20.6
 -5.0
 -17.5
 -6.4


 Dumfries and Galloway
 -30.1
 34.5
 -29.5
 52.7


 Fife
 8.6
 13.2
 9.3
 -29.1


 Grampian
 11.8
 14.9
 -7.3
 20.8


 Lothian and Borders
 1.4
 3.5
 -9.8
 -17.3


 Northern
 22.3
 -1.3
 -4.4
 2.3


 Strathclyde
 -4.4
 5.1
 -5.1
 -8.1


 Tayside
 11.1
 -5.8
 -11.3
 1.2


 All Scotland
 1.8
 4.6
 -6.7
 -5.5



  Note: Offences included are:

  Driving a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs.

  In charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs.

  Failure to co-operate with a preliminary test.

  Failure to provide a specimen at a police station.

Emigration

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to forge links with the Scottish diaspora.

Mr Tom McCabe: Ministers regularly engage with diaspora groups during international visits. The Executive engages with the diaspora through a number of other methods: through the internet sites, Scotlandistheplace.com and Friendsofscotland.gov.uk; inward press visits for international journalists, and promotion of contemporary Scotland at a range of international events. This engagement will be increased with the launch, later in January, of the diaspora e-magazine, titled, Scotland Now.

Emigration

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would support the creation of a centre for the Scottish diaspora.

Mr Tom McCabe: There are no plans to support the creation of a centre for the Scottish diaspora.

Equal Opportunities

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to eradicate gender stereotyping among young people.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive is committed to addressing gender inequalities and stereotyping among young people in Scottish schools. Specific initiatives - past and on-going - are detailed in the answer to question S2W-22055 on 12 January 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  Executive work to tackle discrimination and prejudice and promote gender equality in all aspects of Scottish life is relevant and will benefit people of all ages, including the young. For example, in recognition that there are a complex set of factors which influence career choice, the Executive has recently agreed to set up an interdepartmental working group on occupational segregation. Officials are currently liaising with the Equal Opportunities Commission Scotland over the remit, membership and duration of the group. Careers Scotland, which has done a lot of work on gender stereotyping and the career choices of young men and women, is likely to be involved with the group.

  The Executive is also involved in raising awareness of occupational segregation in the context of equal pay through its involvement with the Close the Gap partnership project.

Flood Prevention

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have applied for funding from it for flood prevention schemes in the last five years and which applications have been successful.

Rhona Brankin: The undernoted local authorities have applied for funding for flood prevention schemes in the last five years. All were successful.

  Local Authority

  Aberdeenshire Aberdeen City Argyll and Bute Dumfries and Galloway City of Edinburgh East Ayrshire East Dunbartonshire Inverclyde Moray North Ayrshire Perth and Kinross Renfrewshire West Lothian

Forestry Commission

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Forestry Commission Scotland has spent on biodiversity work in each forest district of the state forest in the last three years.

Rhona Brankin: The information requested is provided in the following tables. Expenditure represents full costs including staff, materials, cash and overheads and also includes expenditure on heritage work but not deer management operations. The income figures represent funding provided to Forestry Commission Scotland for biodiversity work from partnership projects with other organisations and agencies and also EU funding.

  

Expenditure Forest District
2002-03 
Outturn (£000)
2003-04
Outturn (£000)
2004-05
Outturn (£000)


 West Argyll
 246
 317
 344


 Lorne
 130
 137
 147


 Tay
 118
 128
 143


 Moray
 32
 37
 33


 Buchan
 195
 273
 279


 Kincardine
 38
 56
 48


 Dornoch
 145
 168
 257


 Inverness
 182
 262
 126


 Fort Augustus
 2
 44
 149


 Lochaber
 271
 293
 222


 Cowal and Trossachs
 194
 523
 315


 Scottish Lowlands
 45
 51
 57


 Galloway
 196
 175
 213


 Ae
 97
 101
 102


 Scottish Borders
 27
 29
 33


 Total
 1,918
 2,594
 2,468



  

Income Forest District
2002-03 
Outturn (£000)
2003-04 
Outturn (£000)
2004-05 
Outturn (£000)


 West Argyll
 31
 11
 93


 Lorne
 
 3
 


 Tay
 
 1
 11


 Moray
 2
 
 


 Buchan
 205
 202
 182


 Kincardine
 
 
 5


 Dornoch
 30
 7
 55


 Inverness
 36
 69
 62


 Fort Augustus
 
 
 108


 Lochaber
 101
 110
 105


 Cowal and Trossachs
 4
 93
 6


 Scottish Lowlands
 
 
 


 Galloway
 54
 68
 62


 Ae
 
 
 


 Scottish Borders
 
 
 6


 Total
 463
 564
 695



  

Net Costs Forest District
2002-03
Outturn (£000)
2003-04
Outturn (£000)
2004-05
Outturn (£000)


 West Argyll
 215
 306
 251


 Lorne
 130
 134
 147


 Tay
 118
 127
 132


 Moray
 30
 37
 33


 Buchan
 -10
 71
 97


 Kincardine
 38
 56
 43


 Dornoch
 115
 161
 202


 Inverness
 146
 193
 64


 Fort Augustus
 2
 44
 41


 Lochaber
 170
 183
 117


 Cowal and Trossachs
 190
 430
 309


 Scottish Lowlands
 45
 51
 57


 Galloway
 142
 107
 151


 Ae
 97
 101
 102


 Scottish Borders
 27
 29
 27


 Total
 1,455
 2,030
 1,773

Forestry Commission

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Forestry Commission Scotland has budgeted for the next three years for biodiversity work in each forest district of the state forest.

Rhona Brankin: The information requested is provided in the following tables. Expenditure represents full costs including staff, materials, cash and overheads and also includes expenditure on heritage work but not deer management operations. The income figures represent funding provided to Forestry Commission Scotland for biodiversity work from partnership projects with other organisations and agencies and also EU funding. However, it should also be noted that these income figures could vary significantly depending on financial support for biodiversity within specific funding streams and partnership projects.

  

Expenditure Forest District
2005-06
Budget (£000)
2006-07
Budget (£000)
2007-08
Budget (£000)


 West Argyll
 506
 442
 483


 Lorne
 278
 303
 309


 Tay
 170
 166
 168


 Moray
 99
 74
 74


 Buchan
 415
 325
 285


 Kincardine
 55
 100
 94


 Dornoch
 152
 103
 100


 Inverness
 174
 325
 273


 Fort Augustus
 385
 278
 248


 Lochaber
 281
 243
 278


 Cowal & Trossachs
 464
 787
 608


 Scottish Lowlands
 60
 105
 112


 Galloway
 197
 209
 208


 Ae
 126
 171
 176


 Scottish Borders
 79
 92
 89


 Total
 3,441
 3,723
 3,505



  

Income Forest District
2005-06
Budget (£000)
2006-07
Budget (£000)
2007-08
Budget (£000)


 West Argyll
 51
 40
 92


 Lorne
 
 9
 9


 Tay
 5
 5
 


 Moray
 7
 
 


 Buchan
 304
 182
 157


 Kincardine
 8
 13
 4


 Dornoch
 47
 5
 


 Inverness
 23
 30
 


 Fort Augustus
 174
 94
 87


 Lochaber
 45
 38
 38


 Cowal & Trossachs
 12
 322
 168


 Scottish Lowlands
 
 
 


 Galloway
 22
 20
 12


 Ae
 
 
 


 Scottish Borders
 5
 5
 5


 Total
 703
 763
 572



  

Net CostsForest District
2005-06
Budget (£000)
2006-07
Budget (£000)
2007-08
Budget (£000)


 West Argyll
 455
 402
 391


 Lorne
 278
 294
 300


 Tay
 165
 161
 168


 Moray
 92
 74
 74


 Buchan
 111
 143
 128


 Kincardine
 47
 87
 90


 Dornoch
 105
 98
 100


 Inverness
 151
 295
 273


 Fort Augustus
 211
 184
 161


 Lochaber
 236
 205
 240


 Cowal and Trossachs
 452
 465
 440


 Scottish Lowlands
 60
 105
 112


 Galloway
 175
 189
 196


 Ae
 126
 171
 176


 Scottish Borders
 74
 87
 84


 Total
 2,738
 2,960
 2,933

Fresh Talent Initiative

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people whose average gross weekly earnings were less that £432.20 have located to Scotland directly as a result of the Fresh Talent initiative.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people whose average gross weekly earnings were more than £432.20 have located to Scotland directly as a result of the Fresh Talent initiative.

Mr Tom McCabe: Individuals moving to Scotland from the rest of the UK and overseas do so under a variety of means and it is not possible to identify their level of earnings or to what extent they have been influenced by the Fresh Talent Initiative on every occasion. However, information on the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme will be collected through a questionnaire which the Relocation Advisory Service will issue to all successful applicants. A breakdown of the data collected through the questionnaires will be issued on a six monthly basis. We expect the first breakdown to be published in the next few months.

Fuel Poverty

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any local authorities have not developed a fuel poverty strategy.

Malcolm Chisholm: All Scottish local authorities have in place, or are in the process of drafting a fuel poverty strategy with the exception of North Ayrshire Council which intends to develop its strategy later this year.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how long on average patients who have had a heart attack have waited for cardiac rehabilitation services in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what comparative information it has on how many weight management clinics there were in England in each of the last five years.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time for obese patients to receive treatment at a weight management clinic was in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated in this parliamentary session to NHS Ayrshire and Arran for drug rehabilitation services.

Hugh Henry: In this parliamentary session the following resources have been, or will be, allocated to NHS Ayrshire and Arran for drug treatment and rehabilitation services.

  

 Year
 Allocation


 2003-04
 987,000


 2004-05
 1,036,000


 2005-06
 1,153,781


 2006-07
 1,153,781


 2007-08
 1,153,781 



  Funding for 2007-08 is dependent upon performance.

Justice

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under one year old who were victims of homicide were known to social services agencies prior to their deaths in each of the last five years, broken down by gender.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the definition of abduction is within Scots Law.

Colin Boyd QC: Abduction is a common law crime in Scots law. The crime of abduction is committed by carrying off or detaining a person against his or her will without lawful authority.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would view the forcible removal of an individual against their will and without recourse to legal representation to a country where they may be tortured as an act of abduction by those responsible for the removal.

Colin Boyd QC: This is a legal question to be determined by reference to the law of the country or countries concerned. The forcible removal of an individual against their will may constitute the crime of abduction in Scots law and I would refer to my answer to question S2W-21871 on 18 January 2005.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the definition of kidnap is within Scots Law.

Colin Boyd QC: The equivalent crime in Scots Law is abduction and I refer to my answer to question S2W-21871 on 18 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Justice

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most common forms of crime committed against young people of school age were in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: The recorded crime statistics available centrally do not include any information on the circumstances of crimes, such as the age of the victim.

Land Management

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of (a) contaminated, (b) derelict and (c) vacant land were reclaimed in each of the last three years and how many hectares of such land remain.

Johann Lamont: Estimates reported by local authorities in the voluntary Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey (SVDLS) are set out in the tables.

  Area of Vacant and Derelict Land Brought Back Into Use Since the Previous Survey (Hectares), Scotland, 2002-041-5

  

 Area
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Reclaimed derelict
 293
 308
 181


 - of which formerly contaminated
 25
 59
 37


 Reclaimed vacant
 391
 271
 286


 Total
 684
 579
 466



  Area of Vacant and Derelict Land (Hectares), Scotland, 2002-041-5

  

 Area
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Derelict
 7,767
 7,741
 7,638


 - of which tested and found to be contaminated
 2,541
 2,489
 2,352


 Vacant
 3,282
 3,107
 3,023


 Total
 11,049
 10,847
 10,661



  Notes:

  1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

  2. Sites covering less than 0.1 hectares are excluded.

  3. The SVDLS includes only that vacant land which is either located within an urban settlement (with a population of 2,000 or more) or which is located within 1km of such settlements, and which would commonly be considered as having the characteristics of urban vacant land.

  4. The SVDLS is not a statutory survey. For those councils that did not provide data for a particular year, data from the previous SVDLS has been used.

  5. The SVDLS classifies sites as either being vacant or derelict. Any site that has been tested and found to be contaminated is automatically classified as derelict. The term "contamination" used in the survey is anecdotal and refers simply to the presence of a number of potential contaminants. This differs from the statutory definition in the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

  Information from the 2005 survey will be published on the 31 January 2006. Results of the 2004 survey can be viewed on the Scottish Executive website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00381-00.asp.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19139 by Rhona Brankin on 20 September 2004, whether it has sought, or will seek, from local authorities details of their spending in undertaking their duties under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 in each financial year and whether it will publish any information collected as a result.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has established a monitoring scheme to collect information from all access authorities on their progress under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, and an outline of the annual expenditure arising. The returns for the first half-year period (9 February 2005 to 30 September 2005) have been received, and are available on the Executive website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Countryside/16328/AccessAuthorities .

  Access authorities have been requested to provide information about spending on an annual basis. The information which they provide at the end of the financial year in April 2006 will be published in the same way.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the progress to date by each local authority towards the provision of core path networks in their area and whether it will provide details of the outcome of any such assessment in respect of the lengths of (a) existing paths and (b) new paths developed as core paths.

Rhona Brankin: Information provided by access authorities on these matters has been published on the Executive website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Countryside/16328/AccessAuthorities .

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19139 by Rhona Brankin on 20 September 2004, what proportion of the £8.1 million funding provided to local authorities in undertaking their duties under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 is expected to be spent on the development and maintenance of core paths.

Rhona Brankin: Further to the answer to question S2W-19139 on 20 September 2005, Grant Aided Expenditure provisions are not budgets or spending targets, and each local authority is responsible for deciding how best to allocate resources based on local needs and priorities. Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 gives access authorities the power to undertake the maintenance of core paths. Exercise of that power is a matter for the discretion of individual authorities.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19139 by Rhona Brankin on 20 September 2004, whether it will provide details of local authorities’ responsibilities under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 for which £8.1 million has been allocated.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive in February 2005 issued Guidance for Local Authorities and National Park Authorities in relation to Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. This document contains a summary of all the duties which are the responsibility of these access authorities, and the powers which are available to them under the act, together with guidance over the exercise of those duties and powers.

  This publication is available on the Scottish Executive website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/environment/p1lra-00.asp.

Local Government Finance

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much capital debt was owed (a) by each local authority and (b) per capita in each local authority area on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Mr George Lyon: The following table shows the total capital debt and per capita debt (for all services) owed by each local authority as at 31 March 2005.

  

 
 
Total Debt(£ Million)
Total Debt Per Head(£)


 Aberdeen City 
 389.8
 1,916


 Aberdeenshire 
 365.9
 1,571


 Angus 
 118.7
 1,094


 Argyll and Bute 
 223.3
 2,449


 Clackmannanshire 
 81.9
 1,698


 Dumfries and Galloway 
 188.1
 1,272


 Dundee City 
 303.7
 2,141


 East Ayrshire 
 188.9
 1,578


 East Dunbartonshire 
 118.4
 1,111


 East Lothian 
 112.8
 1,232


 East Renfrewshire 
 104.4
 1,165


 Edinburgh, City of 
 816.1
 1,799


 Eilean Siar 
 181.3
 6,905


 Falkirk 
 194.0
 1,316


 Fife 
 487.5
 1,375


 Glasgow City 
 1,281.1
 2,218


 Highland 
 551.5
 2,609


 Inverclyde 
 224.2
 2,720


 Midlothian 
 84.4
 1,061


 Moray 
 160.1
 1,825


 North Ayrshire 
 192.4
 1,415


 North Lanarkshire 
 387.3
 1,200


 Orkney Islands 
 33.8
 1,735


 Perth and Kinross 
 159.3
 1,158


 Renfrewshire 
 274.7
 1,610


 Scottish Borders 
 161.0
 1,474


 Shetland Islands 
 51.7
 2,358


 South Ayrshire 
 172.2
 1,540


 South Lanarkshire 
 399.4
 1,308


 Stirling 
 150.5
 1,743


 West Dunbartonshire 
 188.9
 2,054


 West Lothian 
 188.2
 1,156


 Total all-Scotland 
 8,535.8
 1,681



  Notes:

  (i) Individual local authority figures may not sum to the all-Scotland total, due to rounding.

  (ii) The figures given exclude the police and fire boards/authorities, Forth Estuary Transport Authority, Tay Bridge and Strathclyde Passenger Transport.

Local Government Finance

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to ensure that local authorities comply with the conditions applicable to grants allocated for specific projects and who is responsible for carrying out the financial and implementation audits on such grants.

Mr Tom McCabe: Scottish Executive Departments administer a wide range of grant schemes linked to specific objectives. In 2005-06, the value of these grants totalled over £1.8 billion. Grant schemes include, for example, the Cities Growth Fund, the Bellwin Scheme and measures to tackle antisocial behaviour. A list of the grants is published at Annex I of Finance Circular No 8/2005 issued on 23 November 2005.

  Each grant scheme has its own terms and conditions and responsibility for ensuring that councils adhere to these rests with the relevant Executive Department. In general, councils are required formally to assure the department that the funding has been spent in accordance with the grant offer. In a number of cases, there is a further requirement for councils to have the return audited as part of their annual accounts. Routine evaluation and monitoring is also carried out.

Meat Industry

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of beef imports from (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries to Scotland in each of the last five years, showing year-on-year percentage changes, and what comparative information it has on such imports to the United Kingdom.

Ross Finnie: Information on beef imports to Scotland is not available and therefore no comparison with the UK is possible.

National Health Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with representatives of NHS Lanarkshire in respect of the three options relating to emergency care detailed in the board’s briefing issued on 4 November 2005 and whether it will place a record of any such discussions in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Lewis Macdonald: The chief executive of NHSScotland has met with the chief executive of NHS Lanarkshire on a number of occasions to be kept informed about the board’s emerging proposals under A Picture of Health.  There are no published records of those discussions.

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the allocation and distribution of NHS budgets has been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: Details are as follows:

  

 NHS Board
Actual Allocation
1999-2000 
(£ million)
Actual Allocation
2000-01 
(£ million)
Actual Allocation
2001-02 
(£ million)
Actual Allocation
2002-03 
(£ million)
Actual Allocation
2003-04 
(£ million)
Actual Allocation
2004-05 
(£ million)
Actual Allocation
2005-06 
(£ million)


 Argyll and Clyde
 399.945
 429.153
 454.343
 476.764
 509.567
 571.174
 610.630


 Ayrshire and Arran
 340.764
 367.498
 386.696
 412.956
 446.036
 508.342
 540.772


 Borders
 101.248
 106.946
 111.389
 117.690
 127.071
 145.324
 155.803


 Dumfries and Galloway
 148.004
 153.781
 162.489
 173.251
 185.178
 209.764
 225.833


 Fife
 297.928
 320.117
 334.372
 353.873
 382.916
 435.686
 469.016


 Forth Valley
 243.711
 264.599
 276.361
 294.722
 312.759
 348.077
 373.948


 Grampian
 455.518
 488.023
 502.968
 539.080
 576.841
 626.984
 663.707


 Greater Glasgow
 910.908
 972.687
 1,034.981
 1,118.237
 1,176.202
 1,307.122
 1,382.724


 Highland
 197.843
 213.226
 231.063
 246.927
 266.721
 307.357
 330.381


 Lanarkshire
 477.668
 513.363
 554.346
 574.003
 624.011
 696.493
 746.439


 Lothian
 681.295
 729.672
 771.940
 775.075
 886.270
 943.836
 998.246


 Orkney
 21.427
 22.375
 24.498
 25.696
 27.033
 30.796
 32.072


 Shetland
 24.782
 26.636
 28.239
 30.974
 33.308
 35.736
 37.106


 Tayside
 396.642
 425.536
 459.060
 473.887
 496.043
 551.146
 583.870


 Western Isles
 36.903
 39.791
 43.869
 46.515
 50.265
 54.528
 57.707

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the overall percentage redistribution of NHS budgets has been since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: In 2000-01, 0.3%, in 2002-03 to 2004-05, 0.5% annually and in 2005-06, 0.6% of boards initial unified budget was distributed to those NHS boards which were below their Arbuthnott target shares.

National Health Service

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients in 2005 received a scan on the same day as having a stroke, expressed also as a percentage of patients who had a stroke in the same timescale.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.

National Parks

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it cost to organise and carry out the postal ballot to elect the five local representative members of the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

Rhona Brankin: The cost of administering the ballot for the election of five local representative members to the Cairngorms National Park Authority was £32,557. This total amount included costs for advertising, posting of ballots, staff time and delivery of the election mail shot.

Oil Industry

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what risk assessments it has carried out in respect of the potential for radioactive contamination in the event of a major incident at a Scottish oil establishment.

Cathy Jamieson: The assessment of risks associated with oil installations across Scotland is primarily a matter for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the Control of Major Hazards (COMAH) Regulations in close liaison with the site operator and Category 1 responders such as the Police and Fire Service.

  As part of the COMAH regulations, the HSE calculates the risk for the COMAH sites. In addition, HSE provides general risk assessments for industrial and associated hazards for the Scottish Strategic Co-ordinating Group (SCG) areas (same as Police and Fire areas) for inclusion in their area risk registers as required under the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA)

  The CCA will help to consolidate the planning at the SCG area level since Category 1 responders are required to develop generic arrangements for warning and informing the public.

Oil Industry

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has distributed to the public to provide specific advice on protecting them in the event of a major oil incident.

Allan Wilson: None. The issuing of advice to the public in the event of an incident at an oil installation is a matter for the site operator and the responding emergency services: in the case of evacuation, this advice will primarily be given by the police acting on information drawn from a number of sources (e.g. Fire and Rescue, site operator, health professionals and the Health and Safety Executive.) Under the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations, 1999, site operators and local authorities are required to draw up plans to manage a major incident including arrangements for warning and informing the public.

Oil Industry

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the advice available to the public following the major oil incident at Hemel Hempstead.

Allan Wilson: No immediate plans. The issuing of advice to the public in the event of an incident at an oil installation is a matter for the site operator and the responding emergency services: in the case of evacuation, this advice will primarily be given by the police acting on information drawn from a number of sources (e.g. Fire and Rescue, site operator, health professionals and the Health and Safety Executive.) Under the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations, 1999, site operators and local authorities are required to draw up plans to manage a major incident including arrangements for warning and informing the public.

  The oil incident at Hemel Hempstead is currently being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The Scottish Executive will consider any relevant recommendations which emerge from the investigation should they apply to Scotland.

Oil Industry

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates have been made in respect of the number of likely casualties resulting from a major explosion at oil installations across Scotland, broken down by site.

Allan Wilson: This information is not held centrally. The assessment of risks associated with oil installations across Scotland is primarily a matter for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations in close liaison with the site operator and Category 1 responders such as the police and fire service.

Planning

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it will make in the forthcoming Planning Bill to safeguard the interests of councils who object to proposed development in an adjoining council, where such development might have an adverse effect on the objecting council, in respect of councils (a) within the same city region and (b) where there is either no city region plan or the two councils lie within different city regions.

Johann Lamont: The current requirements for an authority to notify a neighbouring authority of any planning application that is likely to affect land in that authority’s area will remain, regardless of whether the development is or is not in an area covered by a strategic development plan. In addition, the Planning Bill places a specific requirement on the strategic development planning authorities, in drawing up their strategic development plan, to consult and have regard to the views of each neighbouring planning authority.

Planning

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many public inquiries in respect of planning have been held in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The number of planning inquiries or hearings in respect of planning held in the last five years is 512. A yearly breakdown of the figures is provided in the following table.

  

 Year
 No. of Planning Inquiries/Hearings


 2000-01
 131


 2001-02
 104


 2002-03
 97


 2003-04
 98


 2004-05
 82

Planning

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of public inquiries in respect of planning has been in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The average length of public inquiries or hearings in respect of planning in the last five years is five days. A yearly breakdown of the figures is provided in the following table.

  

 Year
Average Length of Planning Inquiries/Hearing(Days)


 2000-01
 6


 2001-02
 5


 2002-03
 5


 2003-04
 4


 2004-05
 4

Planning

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning reporters are employed in the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters’ Unit.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporter’s Unit employs 17 established civil servants as inquiry reporters. In addition, 19 self-employed inquiry reporters are used to accommodate peaks in caseload.

Planning

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning reporters it estimates it will need to employ if a third party right of appeal is introduced in the Planning Bill.

Malcolm Chisholm: The number of reporters which would be required would depend upon the precise nature of the third party appeal right which was introduced. Even then, estimates are bound to be highly speculative because it cannot be known with certainty how many people would exercise a new right, and for how many cases.

  The consultation paper, Rights of Appeal in Planning, estimated that applying a third party right to the categories of development included in the Partnership Agreement could more than double the Inquiry Reporters Unit’s caseload and would probably involve a greater proportion of large scale or contentious appeals than at present. This latter effect in turn would further increase the number of cases requiring inquiry procedures, which consume the most reporter resources. It would therefore be reasonable to estimate that significantly more than double the current number of reporters would need to be employed.

Police

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-4038 by Cathy Jamieson on 18 November 2004, whether it will provide a list of the strict conditions it imposes on the use of Taser guns.

Cathy Jamieson: The deployment of Taser guns is an operational matter for chief constables. Ministers support the use of these devices in accordance with the policy and operational guidance which has been prepared by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland. Copies of the guidance are publicly available on request through acpos.secretariat@strathclyde.pnn.police.uk .

Police

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland or police forces regarding the use of electro-shock weapons such as Taser guns.

Cathy Jamieson: The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) approached the Executive in September 2004 seeking Scottish ministers’ views on extending the operational trial of Taser as a less lethal option for Scottish forces in dealing with firearms incidents. The proposals made clear that the use of these devices would adhere to the ACPO/ACPOS Manual of Guidance on Police use of Firearms; that threat and risk assessments would be conducted so that Chief Constables could be satisfied about their force’s tactical and operational capabilities to deploy this weapon, and that before any operational deployment is made a rigorous training programme would be conducted.

  On that basis, ministers supported the decision to use these devices, while recognising that it was an operational matter for chief constables to determine the appropriate response to any firearms incident in the light of circumstances in each case.

Police

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned any independent research on the safety of the police use of Taser guns.

Cathy Jamieson: Taser technology has been subject to rigorous assessment by the police Scientific Development Branch and the Defence Scientific Advisory Council’s Sub-Committee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Technologies (DOMILL).

  DOMILL continues to receive information from police forces across the UK to ensure on-going clinical scrutiny of the use of Taser.

Police

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive which models of Taser guns are in use in Scottish police forces.

Cathy Jamieson: The Taser X26 is the device used in Scotland.

Police

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the committee set up to monitor and assess the medical implications of Taser guns is still in existence and where its minutes can be accessed.

Cathy Jamieson: The Defence Scientific Advisory Council’s (DSAC) Sub-Committee on the Medical Implications of less lethal technologies is a non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Defence and is responsible for monitoring the medical implication of Taser. The secretariat of the DSAC can be contacted on the following link http://www.mod.uk/dsac/secretariat.htm .

Police

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the use of Special Branch informants to obtain information on democratic political parties in Scotland.

Cathy Jamieson: The use by the police, including Special Branches, of covert human intelligence sources is governed in Scotland by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 (RIP(S)A) and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).

  Section 7(3) of RIP(S)A requires that any officer within a Scottish police force who grants an authorisation for the conduct or use of a covert human intelligence source must be satisfied that the authorisation is necessary for:

  
the purpose of preventing or detecting crime or of preventing disorder;
in the interests of public safety, or
for the purpose of protecting public health.


  Section 28(3) of RIPA provides the following additional grounds:

  
in the interests of national security, or
in the interests of the economic well-being of the United Kingdom.


  The collection and interpretation of intelligence by police Special Branches for these purposes plays an important part in ensuring the safety of communities across the United Kingdom and the Scottish Executive supports this work.

  Under section 23 of RIPSA and section 65 of RIPA, any person who is aggrieved by any conduct to which the acts apply may complain to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal if they believe that the conduct took place in relation to them or their property in challengeable circumstances.

Police

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any Special Branch informants operating against democratic political parties in Scotland and, if so, which political parties and how long the Executive has been aware of such operations.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish police forces in respect of the use of informants to obtain information on democratic political parties in Scotland.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has ever been passed information by police forces in Scotland which has come from Special Branch informants having obtained information on democratic political parties in Scotland.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether files held by the Special Branch on democratic political parties in Scotland are current and active.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has ever been passed intelligence information or material related to the activities of democratic political parties in Scotland.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had in 2005 with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland regarding the use of informants obtaining information on democratic political parties in Scotland.

Cathy Jamieson: Information relating to the use of informants by Scottish police forces would, if held by the Scottish Executive, be exempt by virtue of sections 31 (National Security) and 35 (Law Enforcement) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. We believe it would be contrary to the public interest, to confirm whether or not any such information exists or is held by the Scottish Executive. The terms of this refusal are provided for by section 18 (1) of the 2002 act.

Police

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many surveillance operations it authorised involving electronic listening equipment other than telephone intercepts in each year since 1999, broken down by police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive does not have jurisdiction to authorise the use of electronic listening equipment.

  The Chief Surveillance Commissioner publishes details in his annual report of the number of authorisations given under the Police Act 1997 for property interference, and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 for directed and intrusive surveillance.

  The most recent report – (Bib. number 37809), document number SE/2005/203 – was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 3 November 2005.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many instances of prisoners in the open estate absconding there have been in the last 25 years compared to the number of instances of prisoners absconding from regular prisons in the same period.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The available information is given in the SPS Annual Report and Accounts from 1993-94 onwards. No records are available prior to creation of the agency.

Public Bodies

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the salaries have been of the chief executives or their equivalents of each Scottish Executive agency and non-departmental public body in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: Salary information for executive agencies is published as part of each agency’s annual report and accounts. Copies of these documents can be obtained directly from individual organisations or from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

  Non-departmental public bodies chief executive’s salaries are published in the Directory of Scottish Public Bodies as part of the Public Bodies and Appointment pages of the Scottish Executive website.

  The site is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/introduction. Prior to the site’s establishment, generic information was published in the Cabinet Office document Public Bodies. Relevant versions are available from: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/the_future_of_the_civil_service/agencies_and_public_bodies/index.asp.

Rendition Flights

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in relation to people being forcibly brought into the country against their will, without the right to seek legal representation, before being transported to another country.

Cathy Jamieson: Abduction is a crime in Scots law. If anyone has evidence that people are being brought to Scotland in such a way as to breach Scots law, this should be reported to the appropriate Chief Constable.

Rendition Flights

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware whether steps were taken to establish the precise nature of the cargo and passengers on board any planes allegedly carrying suspected terrorists to countries where the practice of torture is used for the purposes of investigation before such planes were given clearance to land at Scottish airports for refuelling.

Cathy Jamieson: The UK is a signatory to the Chicago Convention on Civil Aviation. The Convention allows civil aircraft to stop at airports for technical reasons, such as refuelling, without requiring permission to do so or having to disclose what passengers or cargo they may be carrying.

Rendition Flights

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any flights by US agencies in which alleged suspected terrorists were carried to countries where the practice of torture is used for the purposes of investigation were in either (a) civil aircraft or (b) state aircraft when such flights stopped at Scottish airports for refuelling.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21092 on 8 December 2005. All answers to written questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Rendition Flights

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the US Secretary of State’s reported comments that rendition flights are permissible under international law and that governments have the option of disclosing information on their involvement, how many non-extraordinary rendition flights operated by the CIA and landing at Scottish airports the Executive has been aware of in each year since 2002.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive is not aware of any such flights landing at Scottish airports.

Rendition Flights

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken any legal advice in light of the comments made by Lord Steyn that ministers may be guilty of war crimes if it is subsequently established that they were aware of CIA-operated rendition flights through Scottish airports.

Cathy Jamieson: Scottish ministers are not aware of any such flights through Scottish airports.

Rendition Flights

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20910 by Cathy Jamieson on 7 December 2005, whether its discussions with the UK Government also included the case of Saad Iqbal Madni who was reportedly seized in January 2002 by CIA agents in Indonesia and flown in a Gulfstream V which landed in Scotland for refuelling before being transported to Guantanamo Bay where he was allegedly tortured by having electrodes placed on his knees and live current passed through them.

Cathy Jamieson: No, Scottish Executive officials have not discussed the case of Saad Iqbal Madni with the UK Government.

Rendition Flights

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the activation of Article 52 of the European Convention on Human Rights by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and reports by investigative journalists into the use of rendition flights and notwithstanding the terms of the answer to question S2W-20910 by Cathy Jamieson on 7 December 2005, how it can be satisfied that no US prisoners transported in UK airspace or which landed in Scottish airports were not being transported via Scotland with a view to being subjected to torture once they reached their destinations.

Cathy Jamieson: The request for information by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in terms of Article 52 of the European Convention of Human Rights, has been made to the UK Government, as a Party to the Convention and the Scottish Executive will assist the UK Government with any information required in order to fulfil the request made by the Secretary General.

  The Scottish Executive has no knowledge of any person or persons being transported via Scotland with a view to being subjected to torture once they reached their destinations

Renewable Energy

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement on the proposal to increase the generating capacity of the existing wind-powered generating station at Paul’s Hill in Moray.

Allan Wilson: I can announce that the Scottish ministers have granted consent for this proposal in terms of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. This will increase capacity at the wind farm to 65 Megawatts.

  This announcement follows a lengthy consultation process which involved environmental groups, government bodies and members of the public. Conditions were attached to this consent to safeguard local and environmental interests.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21290 by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005, whether, if it accepts the logic of bypassing Muirhead, Chryston and Moodiesburn with the upgraded A80, it considers it logical to bypass Cumbernauld as part of the upgrade as well and what the reasons are for its position on the issue.

Tavish Scott: Constructing an on-line upgrade through Muirhead, Moodiesburn and Chryston would be impractical due to the significant degree of frontage access on that section of the route. The limited frontage access on the remainder of the route can be accommodated through the provision of an alternative access.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21288 by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005, what the projections are for the volume of traffic per day on the A80 in (a) 2010 and (b) 2025 if the M80 was constructed through the identified Kelvin Valley Route rather than the on-line upgrade.

Tavish Scott: In 2010 the predicted residual traffic flow on the A80 between Mollinsburn and Low Wood resulting from the construction of a Kelvin Valley Route would lie in the range 40,000 to 60,000 vehicles per day. The equivalent range for the Auchenkilns to Old Inns section would be 25,000 to 45,000 vehicles per day. The range of flows reflects the eventual status of the detrunked A80 which would, in the circumstances, fall to North Lanarkshire Council.

  The flows for 2025 are not available.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21273 by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005, whether this indicates that the new Auchenkilns Junction is an integral part of the plan to undertake an on-line upgrade of the A80 to full motorway status.

Tavish Scott: The new Auchenkilns Junction is being designed to integrate with an on-line upgrade of the A80 to motorway status should that successfully negotiate its statutory procedures. However, the scheme stands alone economically in that the benefits accrued from it over the period between its opening and the opening of the new M80, on whatever line, will outweigh the cost of providing the junction.

Scottish Executive Staff

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many female heads of service it has had in each of its departments in each year since 1999, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of heads of service in its departments in the same timescale.

Mr Tom McCabe: The first female head of department in the Scottish Executive was appointed in 2001 and remains in post. Since eight people currently hold head of department posts, (not including the Permanent Secretary) this is 12.5% of the complement.

  The percentage of women in the Senior Civil Service in the Scottish Executive as a whole is currently 31.3%.

Scottish Executive Staff

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its employees from a black or minority ethnic background have been awarded an honour in the (a) Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours List or (b) New Year’s Honours List in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive does not hold information on the number of employees from a black or minority ethnic background who have been awarded an honour in Her Majesty the Queen’s Honours Lists since 1999.

Waste Management

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will implement an independent waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling scheme in Scotland, funded and run through the local authority network, to uphold the proximity principle and safeguard Scottish green jobs, in light of the delay in implementation of the WEEE Directive announced by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Ross Finnie: Under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive manufacturers and importers must take responsibility for, and bear the cost of, recycling and recovery of equipment. In these circumstances it would be wholly inappropriate for the Scottish Executive to assume the manufacturers’ and importers’ financial obligations.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Scottish Parliament Building

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when it will publish details of the Parliament’s energy performance, as required by the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which came into force on 4 January 2006.

Mr Kenny MacAskill: The SPCB is awaiting full guidance from the Scottish Building Standards Agency on how the energy performance of the Parliament should be calculated and published. In the meantime, we will continue to implement our environmental policy which aims to use energy efficiently and work towards ISO 14001 certification.